QUICK ANSWER Importing from India puts you in a different basket of goods than China: pharmaceuticals, textiles and apparel, gems and jewelry, machinery and engineering goods, chemicals and seafood, worth around 86.5 billion dollars a year. On top of the invoice you pay the MFN rate for the HTS code, the 2026 forced labor tariff of 10 to 12.5 percent that includes India among 60 trading partners, Section 232 where steel or aluminum is in the goods, and antidumping duty where an order names your product. India has no free trade agreement with the US and lost GSP treatment in 2019, so nothing arrives duty free by default.
Importing from India is the move most US importers look at first when they want a second source next to China, and the goods India is strong in are not the same goods. This is what the US actually buys from India, what the duty side looks like in 2026, and what changes in the paperwork compared with a Chinese supplier.
What the US imports from India
Indian exports to the US reached about 86.5 billion dollars in FY25 according to IBEF, and the mix is heavier on regulated and finished goods than the China lane is.
The main categories the US buys from India
| Category | What it covers | What it means for the import |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | Generic drugs and active ingredients, 15.26 billion dollars in 2025 per Trading Economics | FDA registration and prior notice at entry, tight documentation |
| Textiles and apparel | Cotton basics, home textiles, embroidered and decorated garments, uniforms | Textile declaration, yarn forward origin questions, high MFN rates |
| Gems and jewelry | Cut and polished stones, gold and silver jewelry | High value per kilogram, insurance and security handling |
| Machinery and engineering goods | Industrial equipment, castings, forgings, auto components | Weight and dimensions drive the freight, not the volume |
| Organic chemicals | Intermediates and specialty chemicals | Hazard classification, some lines carry antidumping duty |
| Seafood | Frozen shrimp above all | Reefer equipment, FDA and antidumping exposure |
| Leather goods and footwear | Finished leather, bags, shoes | Origin documentation, forced labor tariff exposure |
Two of these carry more risk than the rest, and both catch new importers. Frozen warmwater shrimp has been under antidumping orders for years. Cotton apparel carries some of the highest MFN rates in the tariff schedule, which means the duty line can move the landed cost more than the freight does.
What you pay on Indian goods in 2026
There is no free trade agreement between the US and India, and India's Generalized System of Preferences treatment was withdrawn in 2019, so preferential duty free entry is not available. What lands on the entry is a stack.
The duty stack on an Indian shipment
| Layer | What it is | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| MFN duty | The standard rate for the HTS code | Every shipment. Cotton apparel runs high, generic pharmaceuticals often run at zero |
| Section 301 forced labor tariff | 10 to 12.5 percent, implemented through the USTR action and CBP guidance in 2026, covering 60 countries including India | Most Indian origin goods. Under challenge at the Court of International Trade since the day it took effect |
| Section 232 | Steel and aluminum measures | Goods with steel or aluminum content, including many machinery and auto component lines |
| Antidumping and countervailing duty | Product and producer specific rates from a standing order | Frozen warmwater shrimp above all, stainless and carbon steel lines, a set of chemicals |
The 25 percent additional duty that applied to Indian goods through 2025 was removed by executive order effective February 7, 2026. That is the change most importers have heard about, and it is often mistaken for a clean slate. It is not: the forced labor tariff introduced later in 2026 lands on most Indian cargo. And because that tariff is in litigation, keep the entry documentation tidy; if the challenge succeeds, refunds go to importers who can show what they paid.
One line that no longer applies: the China specific Section 301 lists, the ones covering electronics, furniture and thousands of other Chinese goods, have nothing to do with Indian origin cargo. Those are two separate actions that share a section number, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
The MFN line varies more by category than importers expect. Check the exact rate for your ten digit code; these are the neighborhoods.
Where MFN rates typically sit by category
| Category | Typical MFN territory |
|---|---|
| Generic pharmaceuticals | Mostly zero |
| Cotton apparel | Roughly 8 to 32 percent, knit cotton shirts around 16.5 percent |
| Frozen shrimp | Zero MFN, the real exposure is antidumping duty |
| Machinery and engineering goods | Roughly zero to 4.5 percent |
| Gold jewelry | Roughly 5 to 7 percent |
| Leather bags and footwear | Roughly 8 to 20 percent depending on the line |
Map your duty exposure on Indian goods
Antidumping duty, the one that catches importers out
Antidumping duty is the difference between a profitable Indian order and a loss, because the rates are not small and they are not obvious. They attach to a product and a producer, they are not on the commercial invoice, and they are collected on the entry whether or not anyone told you about them.
Before you place the order, check whether your product falls under an order and whether your specific supplier carries its own rate. A supplier saying it does not apply is not a check. If it does apply, the cash deposit rate becomes part of your landed cost from the first shipment, and it can change on review.
KEY TAKEAWAY Antidumping duty attaches to the product and the producer, never to the invoice. Check the order list and your supplier's specific rate before the purchase order is signed, because the deposit rate is landed cost from the first entry.
Origin, documents and what India adds at the export end
The commercial invoice, packing list and transport document are the same as any lane. India adds an export side that a first time importer notices.
Indian exporters clear through DGFT and need an AD code registered with the bank and the port. A supplier who has not exported to the US before will hit that first. It is routine, but it takes time and it happens before anything moves.
A certificate of origin matters more here than it does out of China, because origin decides whether the forced labor tariff, Section 232 and any antidumping order attach at all. Where goods are assembled in India from Chinese components, origin is a question of substantial transformation, not of the shipping address, and CBP treats it that way.
The full list of what travels with a shipment is in our import shipping documents guide, and the classification side is in the HTS and HS code guide.
Choosing between an Indian and a Chinese supplier
The comparison is rarely about the freight. Ocean from India runs longer than from China, 22 to 34 days port to port depending on the pair, and the rate sits in a similar band, often somewhat below the transpacific peak. What separates the two is the duty stack and the supplier base.
India wins where the category is a strength: pharmaceuticals, textiles and home goods, jewelry, castings and forgings, and where a buyer wants a second source outside China. It costs more time at the start, because export documentation and supplier readiness take longer, and quality assurance usually needs someone on the ground for the first orders.
China wins on speed to first shipment, on breadth of supplier choice in electronics and consumer goods, and on transit. The duty comparison depends entirely on the HTS code, so run it per product rather than per country.
How Platton helps with imports from India
The freight, in whatever piece you need
Ocean and air out of Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, booked as a full container, an LCL consolidation or an air shipment. Everything about ports, transit and rates on this lane sits on the shipping from India to USA page.
A duty estimate before you commit to the order
Send the spec sheet and the intended use, and we work through the candidate HTS code with you, then price the estimated duty with all the layers above into the quote, so the landed cost is on the table before the purchase order rather than after the entry. The code you declare stays your call; CBP puts that responsibility on the importer.
Antidumping and origin checked before the first order
We check the commodity against active orders and flag where origin is likely to be questioned, particularly on goods assembled in India from Chinese inputs.
US customs entry and delivery
ISF filed inside the deadline and the entry prepared before the cargo arrives, so release comes with discharge, then drayage and delivery to your warehouse or an Amazon appointment.
Common questions about importing from India
What are the biggest US imports from India?
Pharmaceuticals lead by value, at 15.26 billion dollars in 2025 according to Trading Economics, followed by gems and jewelry, textiles and apparel, machinery and engineering goods, organic chemicals and seafood. Total Indian exports to the US were about 86.5 billion dollars in FY25 per IBEF. The mix is heavier on regulated goods than the China lane, which is why the paperwork carries more weight than the freight on this route.
Do Section 301 tariffs apply to goods from India?
The China specific Section 301 lists do not. A separate Section 301 action in 2026 covers 60 countries including India, at 10 to 12.5 percent, and it is being challenged at the Court of International Trade. The same section number covers two unrelated actions, which is what trips people up. Check what applies to your HTS code at the time of entry rather than relying on either answer.
Is there duty free treatment for Indian goods?
No. India lost its Generalized System of Preferences status in 2019 and there is no free trade agreement between the two countries, so Indian origin goods pay standard MFN duty by HTS code plus whatever additional measures are in force. Some lines, such as many generic pharmaceuticals, carry a zero MFN rate on their own, but that is the tariff schedule rather than a preference.
How do I know if my product has antidumping duty from India?
Check the product against the active order list before you place the order, and check whether your specific supplier has its own rate, because rates are producer specific. Frozen warmwater shrimp is the best known Indian line, with orders also standing on stainless and carbon steel products and a set of chemicals. The duty is collected on the entry regardless of what the supplier told you, and it can run far above the MFN rate.
Is it cheaper to import from India than from China?
Freight rarely decides it. Ocean rates sit in a similar band, often below the transpacific peak, and transit runs a week or two longer. The 2026 forced labor action covers both origins on USTR's list, so it rarely tips the choice; the stack that differs is the rest, because the China lists never touch Indian goods while the MFN rate and any antidumping order depend on the product. Run the comparison per HTS code, not per country.
What is an AD code and why does my Indian supplier need one?
An AD code is an authorized dealer code that an Indian exporter registers with its bank and with the port of export. Without it the shipping bill cannot be filed and the cargo does not leave. Suppliers who export regularly already have one. A supplier exporting for the first time will need to arrange it, which takes time before anything ships and is worth confirming at the quotation stage.
Related import guides
Shipping from India to USA: ports, transit times, ocean and air freight, and what the move costs.
Import shipping documents: the full document set and who issues each one.
HTS and HS codes: how classification works and where it goes wrong.
Landed cost: the formula with duty, freight and destination charges in one number.
Import knowledge hub: the rest of the importer's journey.
Get the duty picture before you order
Send the product, the HTS code if you have one and the supplier's location, and you get an estimated duty figure with the layers broken out, next to a freight rate for the lane.
